There are five signs to watch out for to distinguish whether you’re reading an Epic Fantasy novel or just a regular Fantasy novel.
1. A map. This means you will be able to trace visually the long and sometimes circuitous voyage of the protagonist. They will move—née travel to distant lands.
2. A glossary. If the book you’re reading has a glossary, you’re in trouble. Now you know there’s enough in those pages that even the author thinks you won’t remember and is putting it all in the back of the book as a reminder.
3. Unnecessarily complicated names and titles favoring (but not always) the dreaded and frequently used double vowel combination “ae.”
4. A large cast of characters with equally confusing names and titles (sometimes appearing frustratingly similar to each other) that are related in some kind of vast, convoluted type of relationships so perplexing you begin to think you need a relationship tree or, perhaps, a glossary of who’s who. Or even a Dramatis Personae.
5. Size. Does your book look like it could stop the wind from slamming your door shut by sheer mass alone? Do you frequently confuse it with a “pocket” dictionary (albeit no pocket I own will ever be big enough to shove one of those inside)? Epic Fantasy tends to run on the high end of the triple digit page count.
Take a look at the book you’re reading. Does it hit all 5 points? If it does, you may be reading an Epic Fantasy novel! And if you haven’t started it yet, brace yourself. The journey can be long, arduous, and trying. In this, you may find sympathy with your no doubt Heroic protagonist.
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments!
Haha, I love it because it’s SO true! Especially the crazy names and the maps. Actually crazy names was the first thing that popped in my head when I read this title. And now, I want to read some epic fantasy.
Crazy names are one of the first tip-offs! Aside from size, of course.
These things really make you feel accomplished after you’ve finished an Epic Fantasy novel…
Hmmmm. Yep the Inda series passes with flying colors!
I thought of this list in jest while I was reading Inda and decided it was too true not to make a fun post out of it.
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I laughed.
Although, I’m getting to the point where I refuse to even look at the map just on principle!
I’m glad I made you laugh, TJ!
Oh, I think everyone reaches their points of hesitation eventually, usually in reference to one or more of the 5 signs. (I even opened The Black Prism, saw no map, but found placement pages with [MAP] on them and had a laugh)
I think the elusive 6th point should have been covers…
Covers can be tricksy, though. The Black Prism definitely doesn’t have a standard “epic” cover. Or even GRRM’s series. Most are in the line of Inda, The Eye of the World, and The Way of Kings, though…epic scenes, usually with men with horses and/or weapons in hand.
That’s a good point. Covers aren’t always going to speak for the genre, but there is a mysteriously high proportion of horses, weapons, and medieval type clothing or landscapes…
Great post, funny and so true.
Suggesting some more:
6. Passionate fans create websites for the book(s) where they analyze the action and backstory, write FAQ’s regarding the culture and characters, anticipate the future, and write fan fiction borrowing the same characters and/or settings. (well, I suppose if the work might be ignored or despised. Too bad. Well, if its despicable enough it may still generate excited interest.)
7. The writing style is immersive and lacks any post-modern self-referential comments indicating awareness of an author and a reader.
8. Attempts are made at consistency across a vast array of cultural data, but, alas, the fans will discover inconsistencies, and display emotions of glee or outrage.
I think it’s possible to know you’re reading a fantasy epic by sampling a random block of, say, five sentences. There are certain characteristics. True? maybe we need to do one of those statistical/mathematical text analyses to prove that theory?
I’m glad you liked it, Opally! Number 6 sounds more like a response to reading Epic Fantasy, but it’s the kind of dedication that inspires glossaries and maps in the first place in the books themselves, don’t you think?
I think number 8 is in a similar boat (more of a response than a descriptor of the book itself) since it can also apply less uniquely to other books as well! Some SF/F books tend to work at creating different cultures that sometimes come across as more wonky than productive.
And number 7… well I do agree: Epic Fantasy novels are extremely immersive!
I don’t think the response is separate from the writing; I think that epic fantasy feeds a hunger. It isn’t anything in itself. Otherwise writing would be like cooking that isn’t meant to be eaten. Or a song that noone hears.
“It’s a sociological phenomenon” could be another way to put it. It isn’t anything apart from its market, as much as we like to imagine the lone inspired writer, miraculously discovered by readers.
I think they are entirely separate i this case. I cannot glance at an Epic Fantasy book and be able to tell it’s an Epic Fantasy book by finding fan response inside of the pages of the book.
Response comes after it has been read.
These 5 things I mentioned are identifying factors before one either begins reading the book or if they have just started reading it.
I read this post while at work and had a wonderful giggle, thank you.
You’re welcome! I couldn’t keep this list to myself. It was a tongue-in-cheek set of observations in my exasperation with facing not one, but several Epic Fantasy novels in my very near future.
Hilarious! And very true! Great post Erika!
Thank you, Lily!
Hihi, epic true
Haha thank you!
and don’t forget the Hero Quest. on top of all the complicated names, lineages, titles and heraldry, you’ve got to have a Campbell-esque hero quest. involving elves. and royal bastards.
Great, hilarious post by the way!
The Hero Quest! How could I forget?
And thank you.
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